Rani Yahya and Johnny Bedford get rematch at UFC Fight Night 44

Following a no-contest earlier this month, bantamweights Rani Yahya (19-8 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Johnny Bedford (19-10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will get another chance to fight.

UFC officials today announced the rematch. The booking is announced two weeks after a clash of heads brought the first fight to an unceremonious end.

UFC Fight Night 44 takes place June 28 at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The event’s main card is expected to air live on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass. It’s not yet known on which portion of the card Yahya vs. Bedford will serve.

Yahya and Bedford opened UFC Fight Night 39 and barely got going before colliding heads. Yahya dropped back to the canvas, stunned, as Bedford swarmed and landed several punches. The referee then ruled the fight a no-contest, which sent Bedford into a tirade as he claimed victory.

Bedford got in Yahya’s face and rejected the submission artist’s call for calm, which prompted much online criticism. In a statement posted later on his Facebook account, Bedford apologized for his actions and opened the door to a rematch.

During a post-fight interview, Bedford called for a rematch in his home state of Texas. At the time of the first bout, he hadn’t fought in one year and had lost his previous bout via submission, which snapped a three-fight win streak. Yahya had also suffered a setback with a split decision loss to Tom Niinimaki that reversed a trio of wins.

ALBANY, N.Y. – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., which kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET (2:45 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

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